As I look out my window in suburban Sydney, there is a bluish tinge to the air.
The fires around Sydney, and along the Australian east coast have made us all aware that we do live in a very dry continent, and that we do not value the water resources we have, in fact, we literally piss them away.
It is enlightening to watch the and hear the differing conversations going on around us, not just in the pub, but in the media.
People, those who live ordinary lives, pay their taxes raise their kids, seem to have a different set of perspectives to those who are supposed to be leading us. They seem unable to open their traps without making it a race for political points.
What better time for the pollies to do what the rest of us have done already, and come together, recognising that we are stronger together than we are divided.
News to politicians, who seem to think and act as if the opposite were true.
It is the time for leadership, and leadership is not about how much money has been spent, or how much might be spent at some time in the future, or whether there are more or less park rangers than there were a year ago, it is about the stories of bravery, sacrifice and just old fashioned humanity that will move us.
We humans evolved with stories, it is how we understand, remember and relate to others in our ‘tribe’. We do not remember facts and figures without the context of a story, when listening to a story that engages, our neural activity increases, allowing us to feel, hear and taste the essence of the story.
What an opportunity for politicians of all colours to show leadership, to restore at least a little of the lost trust and faith, that they are there not just for themselves, but for all of us. They wonder about the position of trust they occupy in public sentiment, below lawyers, and just above child molesters. It is a problem of their own making, one that can be reversed with time, honesty, transparency and humility, so I guess that is unlikely.
The Husband of the mayor of Glen Innes Carol Sparks, Badja Sparks now virtually homeless after fire ripped through the township of Wytaliba, said it best when he said: ‘This climate has changed. Pray for rain: Pray harder for leadership’.
